The Gallery

Living God's Masterpiece at Masterpiece Sunday (this Sunday!)

MASTERPIECE SUNDAY--Life in Christ in Art
This Sunday, January 29th is a very important Masterpiece Sunday for our church. First of all, during worship we will be finishing up our series Resonate. In it we have explored the 4 A's of staying in tune with God's will and call for our church:

• God's ASSIGNMENT
• Our ALIGNMENT
• God's ANOINTING
• God's AUTHORITY (for the Assignment)

We will be led in worship by guest leader Stefan Van Voorst from the Upper Room and our own Melissa Briggs. Kimberly Mills, a new artist in our church family will be painting a special piece during and for our service, and we will be welcoming our newest Mission Partners. And, of course, please come early to share in some great breakfast pastries from 9:00 to 10:00 AM.

In addition, after the service we will be going downstairs for a quick pizza lunch and then coming back upstairs for our first Gallery Congregational Meeting. The purpose of this meeting will be 3-fold:

1. A State of the Church Address from Pastor Brad
2. A financial report from our own Doug Strandness
3. Election of The Gallery's first Leadership Team

• NOTE: there will be childcare for this meeting.

 

LISTENING TO GOD after-church potluck
Last winter The Gallery started an annual event to help leadership hear what you might be hearing from God. So, after worship on Sunday, Feb. 12 (noonish), we will gather for an all-church potluck at the Obama School where we will share a meal then break into groups and discuss where we saw God moving last year, where we see God moving now, and what do we sense God calling us toward this next year. Hope you'll join us!

 

The Gallery in January

RESONATE--staying in tune with God’s call for our lives and church
This Sunday we continue our 4 week series seeking to fine-tune our lives around Jesus mission and will. In this series we explore the 4 A’s necessary for our resonance with God:

• God’s ASSIGNMENT
• Our ALIGNMENT
• His ANOINTING
• Our AUTHORITY

I pray you’ll make these 4 week’s a priority in your schedules.

 

This Sunday's MISSION PARTNER CLASS
This month’s Mission Partner Class will happen after church at 12:30 PM this Sunday, January 15th just one block away from us at Summit Church (corner of Summit Ave. and Victoria). The class will last approximately 2 hours long. We encourage you to grab a bite to eat after the service, before the class on that day. NOTE: Please RSVP to Rita Linstedt: ritalindstedt@gallerycovenant.org

 

MISSION PARTNER “Share your faith story” FOLLOW-UP
Because we desire those making decisions at The Gallery to be professing Christians, we ask all people who have taken the Mission Partner class to please share their faith story as part of the Mission Partner requirements. Don’t worry. Easy stuff. We just long to hear what God has done to bring you to this point in your life.

There will be two opportunities this month for such an opportunity:

• Sunday after church January 15th at 12:30 PM at Summit Church (corner of Summit Ave. and Victoria)
• Sunday after church January 22nd at 11:30 AM at Steppingstone Theatre

NOTE: Please RSVP to Rita Linstedt: ritalindstedt@gallerycovenant.org.

 

MASTERPIECE SUNDAY--January 29th
This month’s Masterpiece Sunday will be a special Sunday where we celebrate the great call God has placed on His bride, the Church. We’ll recognize our newest Gallery Mission Partners, and celebrate with special guest worship leader Stefan Van Voorst. Breakfast treats will be served before the service at 9:00 AM. It’ll be a great service to invite a friend looking for a church home.

 

Our first CONGREGATIONAL MEETING after church, January 29th
Because The Gallery is moving to become a congregationally-driven church, we will hold our first congregational meeting for Mission Partners after the worship service on Sunday, January 29th at Steppingstone Theatre. The focus of this meeting will be as follows:

• Report by Pastor Brad
• Election of The Gallery’s first Leadership Team. Information on the purpose and requirments for the Leadership Team can be found here.

 

Position for Hire

The Gallery Covenant Church is seeking to hire a part-time Director for their new ministry The Masterpiece Project. Job description can be viewed here. Resumes will be received through Friday, Jan. 13th and can be emailed to Pastor Brad Kindall at bradkindall@gallerycovenant.org. 

 

Reminder, Gallery, we will not be meeting Sunday morning, Jan. 1.

A merry Christmas from Pastor Brad

Gallery,

As I begin to write this I find my self flooded with emotion. I am so thankful for you. I am thankful for your faithfulness to the call God has placed upon us. Planting a church is not for the faint of heart. Church plants are born out of a community of people committed to moving beyond simple Sunday morning attendance; churches who make servanthood part of the very DNA of being the church. 

I see this faithfulness in action every week in you. Here are some recent highlights:

• One of you chose not to eat your lunch after already ordering it and being served last Monday because you remembered our call to fast and pray for those far from God.
• One of you gave me a simple and quick "yes" when I asked you to bring a meal to a family in our community who is losing a loved one.
• One of you brought a cake last Sunday after church simply to bless the community.
• Two of you showed up to pray alongside me for an hour before the service last Sunday. 
• 3 of you show up every Saturday to walk arond our neighborhood and pray for the kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.
• Over 20 of us showed up at Urban Ventures last Tuesday to cook and serve and smile for the Latino families of the Learning Lab. AND we gave away $1250 in Target gift cards to families in need this Christmas!

And, of course, that's not to mention all of you who show up weekly to serve in the nursery, children's ministry, set up and take down our equipment, serve our children and youth, play and sing in our music ministry, visit people in the hospital...I could go on and on and on.

 

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! 

Your giving helps put me in the Christmas spirit.

 

If you're in town, I hope you'll be joining us Saturday morning for our Christmas Eve breakfast and worship service.We'll gather downstairs at Steppingstone at 9:30 AM. Please bring a dish to share. After breakfast we'll sing and pray and celebrate the birth of the Christ child. It will be beautiful. 

 

Reminder: We will not be meeting for Sunday morning worship Dec. 25 or Jan. 1.

 

Also, if you have not given to support The Gallery this month, please remember your year-end giving. Financial gifts to The Gallery can be counted toward this year's giving as long as they are received or post-marked by Dec. 31st. Here are 3 ways to give:

• Bring your gift Saturday morning to the service.
• Give online here.
• Send a check to The Gallery Covenant Church, PO BOX 305, St. Paul Park, MN 55071.

May the birth of our Lord and Savior remind you of the immense love God has for you!

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Brad